Silver Lining
by rfb211
Summary: Jack will be a devoted father to Amy, but will his relationship with Doug last? And how will he get through the hard times as a single gay dad raising a daughter. With the help from his friends Pacey, Joey, and Dawson and of course his sister Andie.
1. Chapter 1

"You must be excited Amy." Jack said grinning as he looked at her pudgy cheeks. "Only 5 more days until your birthday."

"Jack." She said happily. He loved the way she said his name, with extra emphasis on the k. "Mo." She pointed to her empty bowl

"Okay," Jack said and got up to get some more. "How old will you be turning?" He asked her as he scooped more Rugrats macaroni and cheese in her dish.

"Two," She said holding up two fingers.

"That's right Amy!" He laughed as she dug in using her fingers and got the cheese all over her face. "Well no point in trying to be clean now." She already was covered up to her elbows. "Somebody's going to need a bath later."

"Me," She said.

"That's right."

"Dougy home?" She asked.

"No," Jack replied. "He's coming home late tonight. Past your bedtime." His tone became less playful.

"Again?" She asked.

He hadn't realized she'd picked up on so much. "Yeah," he said. "But that's okay it'll just be the two of us tonight." He said developing a fake enthusiasm for Amy's good. "That's all we need." Jack and Doug's relationship had been rough for the past few months. There was a definite possibility they could mend it, but he'd been trying to keep Amy from growing attached to him. He was trying to get himself used to the idea of being a single parent. A single, gay dad raising a daughter, now there was a hard task.

"Are you ready for bed?" Jack asked.

"No, no, no!" She shouted gleefully.

"5 minutes," he said, "then BBB time."

"Bath. Book. Bed."

"Exactly," He said. "You know the drill."

She finished her cake and Jack washed all the cheese off of her. He was impressed she managed to get it on her ankle. Jack sat on her bed and held her hand as he read her a story. "The end," He finished. "I love you," He said. He turned around to leave. "Mommy loved you, too. Never forget that." He said very softly.

He walked back to his bedroom to watch some TV and heard Doug fiddling with the lock on the door. He walked out into the hall. "Shhh…" He whispered as Doug walked in the door.

"I know. Don't worry I'm used to the bedtime schedule," He whispered back.

Doug took a quick shower and got in his pajamas he was beat from the long day at the police station. "So how was your day?" He asked, joining Jack on the bed.

"Fine. Andie called she's going to come up for Amy's birthday on Saturday. Have you heard from Pacey and Joey yet?"

"Yep. He just called up today and they'll be here."

"Cool," Jack replied. Then he paused and there was an awkward silence as they waited for him to continue. "Doug?"

"Yeah."

"I think we should show Amy the tape on her birthday."

"The tape of her mother?" Doug asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "I want her to grow up knowing Jen. It's the way Jen would've wanted it. I have the recording on dvd. Dawson gave it to me. I think it would be nice if we all watched it together when our friends come to visit."

"It's too soon," Doug spoke definitively.

"It's been a year since she's…" Jack always had trouble saying it, "passed away."

"Not since that. It's too soon, Jack. She's too young."

"She understands a lot," Jack argued. "She's knows you've been coming home late recently."

"I've got work!" Doug was growing angry.

"I know. I'm just saying, we've talked to Amy about her mother before and soon she is going to start asking questions. I want her to be able to talk about this."

"No," Doug said. "Wait a couple of years. You've showed me the video and everything Jen said is going to go over Amy's head."

"It's not about what she said. It's about Amy seeing her mother. Jen made that tape before she died because she wanted her daughter to know her."

"I just think-" Doug pressed.

"I wasn't asking your permission, Doug. Jen was _my_ friend and _I _know how she would want her daughter be raised."

"But Jack," Doug said. "We're the ones raising this child. It can't _always_ be about what Jen would have wanted."

"It has to be," Jack said.

"Jack," Doug said, "She's dead."

"And Amy is all she has left and she left _me _to raise her. I think you better go." He was getting angry now.

"Where?" Doug asked.

"Away."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Andie," Jack said picking up the phone, after checking the caller id to make sure it wasn't Doug.

"Hey Jackers. So, have you heard anything from him?" Andie asked.

"He called a couple of times," Jack explained. "But I really can't talk to him right now."

"But Jack," Andie said. Her tone made it obvious she was going to try to convince him to do something. "Why don't you just let him explain? You might be happy with the things he has to say."

"Ugh, God Andie, he's been driving me crazy lately. He really is trying to be supportive, but he's just not the father type. You've heard Pacey talk about his dad not exactly the loving type."

"You should know better than anyone not to judge someone by his parents."

Jack sighed. "I'm telling you Andie, it's not going to work. I need someone who's really going to care about Amy. We just don't see eye to eye on this parenting stuff. I want to find Amy the best father. I owe it to her. I owe it to both of them."

Andie was quiet for a moment. She knew when Jack referred to Jen that things were getting serious."Jack, she already has the best father." He was being to hard on himself.

"You know what I mean."

Andie took a deep breath of resignation, as much as she hated to admit it she never really thought the two of them would work out. "Do whatever you need to."

Andie continued on a brighter note, "Speaking of Amy, can I talk to my darling niece."

Jack brought the phone to where Amy was playing on the floor. "Say hi to Andie," he told her.

"Hi," Amy said.

"Hi Amy," Andie cooed. "It's Aunt Andie. Can you say Andie. An-die," She said slowly.

"Okay," Jack laughed, "that's enough."

"So I'll see you this weekend for Amy's big birthday?"

"Great."

"I'll talk to you later Jack. Call me if you need anything."

"Alright, thanks. Goodbye," Jack said and hung up.

After he put Amy down for her nap, he was watching TV when he heard a knock at the door. He knew it was Doug and slowly got up.

"Hi," Jack said in an unfriendly tone.

"Hey," Doug said. "Look," he began, "things got out of hand last night. I'm sorry if I upset you, but I was only telling you what you needed to hear."

"That's not what I'm upset about," Jack said. "She's dead. I know she's dead. But I will always raise Amy with her in mind. Not because I feel I have to, Doug. Because I want to. You really don't understand me."

"And you don't understand me. I want to be Amy's parent, too, but you've got to let me have a say in the decision-making. If this is going to work you can't always get to have the final word."

And even though he'd suspected it before that was when it hit him. It wasn't going to work. "You're right," Jack said. "But I can't do that. Not yet. I'm not ready." He was having trouble expressing it clearly to Doug.

"You just don't trust me," Doug said.

"It's not that. I just disagree with you more and more lately. And when it comes to Amy, I care too much about her not to get my way."

Doug took a deep breath. "So that's it then?"

Jack nodded. Doug went to go get his stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Pacey?" Doug said into his phone as he was driving out of the apartment's parking lot.

"Hello," Pacey replied.

"Jack and I broke up. I just thought I better tell you because you know you're going to Amy's Birthday Party tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, bro. What happened?"

Doug sighed. He didn't want to get into it right now. "Your typical relationship stuff, lack of communication differences in opinion."

"And you're sure it's not just a fight?" Pacey verified.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. Hey, you wanna come hang out with me and Joey tonight?" Pacey offered.

"Who's that?" Joey asked entering the room.

"Dougy," Pacey mouthed to her. She nodded.

"No thanks, Pace. I'll be all right. Bye."

"Okay, Doug. Bye."

"They broke up," Pacey said astonished. His relationship analysis wasn't as accurate as Andie's.

"What happened?" She was growing concerned.

"I don't know. He was very vague. You know Doug and his personal life."

"So… what do we do?" Joey asked.

"Nothing," Pacey said. "This really isn't our problem. How many times have you learned not to stick your nose into other people's business," he teased.

"No not Doug, the party. But thank you for that. Are we still going?"

"Of course we're still going."

Joey looked at him questioningly. "Isn't that a little unsupportive, Pace? I mean don't get me wrong, I want to go but-"

"Then we're going," Pacey said. "Besides, Jack's our friend too."

"I guess you're right," Joey said.

"Of course I am," Pacey replied.

"And cocky," she muttered with a smirk.

"I love you," Pacey said and gave her a kiss.

"So in this case," Joey continued. "Maybe we better call Jack."

"Are you still think about this?" Pacey asked.

"Well, as you said he is our friend."

"And as you said, does he really want sympathy from his ex-boyfriend's sister-in-law."

"Fine," Joey said, "but at least let me call Andie."

Jack had been tearfully lounging on his bed grading some of his student's English papers, when he heard Amy wailing for him "Coming Amy!" He called.

"Jack," she said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile too. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

"Dougy cook dinner?"

"No," Jack said. "I'll cook dinner."

"Okay!" She replied with an innocent excitement.

"Amy?" Jack said. She looked up at him. "Doug's not coming back. It's just going to be you and me, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because he had to go away." Jack continued before she could ask why again. "But we are going to have so much fun tonight okay? What do you want for dinner, pizza, chicken nuggets…"

"Ice cream!"

"Pizza," Jack told her, "Then ice cream," he said and hoisted her into his arms to carry her into the kitchen. Jack took the pizza out of the freezer and preheated the oven. Just as he put it in the oven and set the timer, he heard a knock at the door.

He wasn't in the mood for visitors. "Who is it?" He asked.

"Andie," his sister replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack opened the door and Andie gave him a huge hug. "I missed you so much!" She exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. His breakup was enough of an excuse to be rude.

Andie ignored the question anyway. "Where's Amy!" Amy came running to her. Andie wrapped her arms around her niece and lifted her into the air.

"Andie!" She cried.

"Are you excited for the party tomorrow?"

"Yes!"

"I've got a special present for you."

"Yay!"

The timer buzzed and startled Andie. "What's that?" She asked.

"Pizza!" Amy exclaimed. Jack took the pizza out of the oven and put it in front of Amy. They both blew on it to cool it down.

"Okay, Amy. It's good." Jack announced.

He and Andie went in the hallway to talk. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked answering his question with another.

"How did you find out?" He said still refusing to cooperate.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Andie had always been a persistent nagger.

After years of living with her, Jack knew Andie could do this longer than he could. "Can we discuss this after bedtime," he said glancing toward Amy in the kitchen.

"Depends…" Andie was ready to negotiate. "When's bedtime."

"In an hour," He said frustratedly.

"Fine," she replied and they walked back into the kitchen to pretend all was well.

"All finished," Amy boasted.

"Wow, you were a hungry girl!" Jack replied impressed. "You still hungry for ice cream?" He asked.

"Yes!"

Jack got up to get the ice cream. "I'll get it," Andie stopped him. He didn't argue. Even though she was the younger sibling, Andie had always been good at looking after Jack and he felt in desperate need of her care. Andie took the ice cream from the freezer and 3 bowls and they sat and ate their ice cream.

Andie helped Jack put Amy to bed and then the two went to the living room and lounged on the couch. "Okay Jack come on," Andie pried.

"We broke up," Jack said. "No big deal."

Andie scooted closer to him. "It is a big deal. Why didn't you call me?"

"I knew you'd come. I didn't want to think about it, Andie. I just wanted to keep moving on with my life. I have to just keep moving on."

"You know, Jack, you don't always have to be this strong. You can't always be this strong. You've got to let us help you. We all want to help you."

"Okay," Jack agreed.

"Besides, I met this nice gay guy at medical school and I've been dying to set you up."

"Andie…" Jack warned.

"Okay," Andie said backing off, "Too much, too soon, I get it." Andie smiled and touched Jack's shoulder. "We can talk about it more later." He laughed. The two of them spent the next few hours watching TV. Jack would occasionally start to cry but it didn't last long. He had a long way to go, but he knew that with everyone's help, he could get through anything.

"Jack," Andie whispered. "Go to sleep."

Jack got up and stumbled towards his bedroom. "You want me to open the couch into a bed?" He turned around to ask and let out a big yawn.

Andie looked at him and smiled. "No, I'll be alright. You just get some rest," She replied sending her brother off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

"Jack!" Amy shouted and ran grinning into his room.

"Happy Birthday," he greeted her.

"Pancakes are coming up!" Andie shouted from the kitchen.

"Why don't you go help Andie?" Jack suggested and went to go splash some cold water on his face. Amy ran off to the kitchen

"Who's coming to visit today Amy?" Andie was excited to see her friends.

"Hmmm…" Amy said and thought hard.

"Do you remember Pacey and Joey?"

"No."

"You were really little last time you saw them. But you're going to love them! Jack entered the kitchen. "What time are they coming anyway?" She asked him.

"Around noon," he explained. "They're going to pick up the cake on the way."

"Great," Andie replied enthusiastically.

"Come on Pacey, get out of bed," Joey pleaded.

"It's too early," he whined.

"Well maybe we shouldn't have stayed up so late, but you wanted to-"

"Right," Pacey said changing his attitude, "I'm up."

"That's what I thought," Joey laughed.

Joey navigated as Pacey drove from their apartment in Boston to New York City. When they began to get close she kept her eye out for the bakery. They stopped and picked up the teddy bear shaped chocolate cake and continued on to find the apartment building.

Andie heard them at the door and leapt from her spot on the couch. It'd been a least a couple of months since she'd seen them. "Joey!" She shouted and wrapped her arms around her.

"Hey," Jack greeted her, next in line for a hug.

Pacey found a parking spot for the car and they swapped greetings again when he arrived. Amy was introduced to everyone and she was captivated by all of the new faces.

As soon as they all got settled and Andie put out some chips, the phone rang. "And that," Jack announced, "must be Dawson." The other three exchanged confused looks as Jack picked up the phone. "Hey Dawson, hang on, let me put you on speaker."

"Hey," Dawson said.

The other three excitedly greeted him.

"So I couldn't fly down today," Dawson began apologetically, "but it's my lunch hour and my secretary thinks I have a conference call with a Hollywood hot shot, so I'm all yours until 1:00," Dawson explained.

"Cool," Pacey replied.

"So what's up?" Joey asked him. Dawson caught them up about his life as a tv producer and they all laughed and joked as they enjoyed lunch. After singing happy birthday, Amy blew out her candles and was ready to open her presents.

"Jack did you get my-"

"Yep," Jack assured him. "It arrived yesterday." He pulled the present Dawson had sent, out from the closet.

"Wow!" Amy shouted as she opened her gifts.

"Say thank you," Jack reminded her.

"You've really got this father thing down," Pacey chuckled.

"Hey," Joey chimed in, "I think it's cute!"

Jack pulled out the biggest present he saved for last.

"A tricycle!" She shouted as she tore off the wrapping paper. "Thank you!" She grabbed and held onto his leg.

"I thought we'd go down to the park later and try it out."

"Yay!"

"I love you, Amy," he told her. He went upstairs and came back with a disc in his hand. "You know how I always tell you Mommy loved you too?" Amy nodded. "She loved you so much and she was so sad she wouldn't get to know you, that she made you a movie," Jack said trying to simplify it as much as he could. "So you could always know her." Jack walked towards the dvd player.

Everyone else was quiet. "Is this a good idea?" Joey whispered to Andie.

"Probably not," she replied and took a deep breath. "But it's what he wants."

Jack overheard them. "I want Amy to know her." And they all knew Jack well enough, to understand. He put the dvd in the machine and clicked play.

The image of Jen appeared on the screen. "Hi, Amy, it's mom," she began

"Mama," Amy said. It made everyone else cry.

"Well, by the time you see this, I won't be here anymore, and I know how much that sucks, for both of us. So seeing as how I won't be around to thoroughly annoy you, I thought I would give you a little list of the things that I wish for you. Well, there's the obvious. An education. Family. Friends. And a life that is full of the unexpected. Be sure to make mistakes. Make a lot of them, because there's no better way to learn and to grow, all right? And, um, I want you to spend a lot of time at the ocean, because the ocean forces you to dream, and I insist that you, my girl, be a dreamer. God. I've never really believed in god. In fact, I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to disprove that god exists. But I hope that you are able to believe in god, because the thing that I've come to realize, sweetheart... is that it just doesn't matter if god exists or not. The important thing is for you to believe in something, because I promise you that that belief will keep you warm at night, and I want you to feel safe always. And then there's love. I want you to love to the tips of your fingers, and when you find that love, wherever you find it, whoever you choose, don't run away from it. But you don't have to chase after it either. You just be patient, and it'll come to you, I promise, and when you least expect it, like you, like spending the best year of my life with the sweetest and the smartest and the most beautiful baby girl in the world. You don't be afraid, sweetheart. And remember, to love is to live."

They all sat there for a moment. None of them wanted to be the first one to speak.

"Amy," Jack said struggling not to cry, "you listen to your mom. She was one wise woman."

"I'll second that," Joey said.

"Me too," Dawson's voice said through the speaker. "I've got to go, now. But I promise I'm coming down for a week or so this summer. I love you guys. Happy Birthday, Amy!" He said and hung up the phone.

"Happy Birthday Amy!" Other voices in the room cheered.

"How about we go down to the park," Andie suggested.

"Can Pacey come?" Amy asked. Pacey had gotten in her good graces ever since he slipped her a lollipop on his way in, and after he tickled her for a while he'd grown to be her favorite.

"How come you've always been so good with kids?" Andie asked him.

"Because he is one," Joey offered.

He rolled his eyes. "I guess it's just one of my many God given talents."

"Yep," Andie continued. "You've always been cocky, too," She laughed.

"Can we go?" Amy begged.

"Sure, kiddo," He said lifting her onto his shoulders, "Joey and I can stay here as long as you want." Since his friends had arrived Jack had been relieved from dad duty, but he was starting to miss it, and that made him happy.

"Ever think about having any of your own?" Andie hinted.

"Don't give him any ideas," Joey joked. Then she answered seriously, "I mean one day, of course. I just want to feel like it's right."

Andie nodded and Jack shut the door behind them as the five of them headed to the park.

A/N Passage taken directly from Dawson's Creek Series Finale written by Kevin Williamson and Maggie Friedman


	6. Chapter 6

It was beginning to get dark outside and Pacey and Joey thought they ought to start heading home. "Thanks Jack," Pacey said.

"Yeah," Joey said, "we had a great time." She smiled and gave Amy and then Jack and Andie hugs goodbye.

"Bye, Amy." Pacey lifted her up in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He was making it obvious how badly he wanted a kid of his own. "If you ever need a babysitter," Pacey offered, "I'm your man."

"And I'd take you up on that," Jack said. "You two have to move closer."

"Yeah, we miss seeing you guys," Andie added.

"Look who's talking," Pacey challenged, "Rhode Island's not that close either." Andie nodded. "But who knows, we might come join you in The City one day." He looked at Joey who was wearing her "oh we will, will we?" look on her face. "If Joey wants to of course," Pacey added to save his butt.

Jack and Andie laughed and walked Pacey and Joey to the door. "Did you have a fun time at your party Amy?" He asked turning around to find her asleep on the couch.

"I guess we tired her out," Andie said.

"We tired me out too," Jack agreed. It was only about 9:00 but Jack was ready to call it a night. "So what about you?" Jack asked. "You heading home tonight, too."

"Trying to get rid of me already?" She asked.

"No," Jack smiled, "but if you're staying," he said, "I thought you could use more permanent sleeping arrangements. He reached into the closet and handed her sheets and a pillow.

"Thanks," she said, accepting his offer. "Yeah, I thought I'd stay one more night. Then head back home tomorrow afternoon for work on Monday."

"Sounds good," He said.

He carefully lifted Amy off of the couch and carried her into her bedroom. He gently laid her down and kissed her on the head. "Good Night, Amy," He whispered, "I love you." He turned off the light and stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching her sleep, and smiling.

"We're you serious about moving to New York?" Joey asked curiously on the long car ride home.

"Sure, why not?" Pacey said.

"Your restaurant…" Joey pointed out.

"Oh, I've been dying to sell that baby for years."

"What?" Joey had noticed he'd been less than content lately but she didn't know he was all ready for immediate change.

"Listen Jo. I thought it'd be so great to have a place of my own. But it's not all it's cracked up to be. Sure, I get to boss people around but the most interesting thing I get to make is the occasional steak, other than that it's just flipping burgers. New York. New York is full of some of the best restaurants in the world. Sure I'd have to work my way up, but when has being the loser of the joint ever stopped me before?"

"Pacey…" Joey hated it when he deprecated himself.

"Jo, you needed to leave Capeside and see what was out in the world and you got to. You live in Boston."

"So do you, Pacey."

"No, see that's where you're wrong. I sleep in Boston, and I've told you before it's not the horrendous commute that bothers me. It's that when I get there I don't want to be there. I feel like I still live there and I feel like I'm still living that life."

"It holds you back,"

"Exactly."

"Well then, there's only one solution," Joey said matter-of-factly. Pacey eyed her curiously; he loved her plans. "We'll move."

"Are you sure, Joey?" He had been quite persuasive but he didn't want to pressure her into something she didn't want to do.

"Why not?" Joey asked. "My job doesn't require me to be anywhere in particular. I can write anywhere. We're still young," she continued. "We can pick up and leave whenever we want," she said, exciting herself with her spontanaety.

"Well after we pack, and sell the apartment, not to mention selling the restaurant…" Pacey rolled off a list of tasks, being the practical one for once.

"You know what I mean," she said.

"I do," he agreed and smiled.

"I've always loved the city," She said.

"I know."


	7. Chapter 7

The next month passed quickly and before they all knew it, they felt summer approaching. Jack prepared his last few lesson plans and began grading the last of his projects, calculating averages and writing the final exam. On the last day of classes, he pulled into the parking lot of the day care center to drop Amy off. He'd stopped feeling guilty about having to take her there, because she'd made a lot of new friends and really did seem to enjoy it. But nonetheless he was excited that soon he would be able to give her all of his attention.

"Bye!" Amy waved.

"Bye!" He waved back and watched as one of the babysitters held her hand and took her inside. Next stop was the high school where he taught freshman English Lit., and an elective Poetry course. That was always his favorite.

"Hey Mr. McPhee," some of his students greeted him as he entered.

"Hey Guys," he replied. He hadn't expected the students to be too focused, but it was still his job to prepare them as best he could, for final exams. He reviewed the key terms, as well as the major works they'd gone over, but he decided to cut class a little short. "Before you guys run off," he said trying to hint that they should stop putting away their binders and zipping up their backpacks. "I want to ask one thing of you." They all groaned. "Read," he said, "And more importantly, write. About whatever you want."

"Mr. McPhee?" A student asked.

"Yeah?"

"How come you never shared any of your work with us?"

"Well to tell you the truth, Kyle. I should be taking my own advice, because haven't written in a while."

"Why not?" Jack loved how the kids challenged him to think even though that was his job.

"I guess I just haven't found the time," He said. He pointed back to the class in general, "which is not a valid excuse, for any of you or for me." He looked up at the clock. "Okay, okay. Go already." His class was out the door before he looked back up from his desk.

On the subway ride to pick Amy up, he thought about the discussion. He hated being a hypocrite. He pledged to himself, to do some writing this summer.

One month was all Pacey needed to get almost everything ready for the move. He had sold the apartment and had some potential buyers viewing the apartment that very week. So the next weekend Pacey and Joey decided to come back to the city and go apartment hunting.

"Hey Jack," Joey said into his answering machine. "Guess what? Were moving here! Crazy, huh? Anyway so were actually in the city, today looking for an apartment so we thought maybe we could meet up later. Call me when you get this."

"Hi Amy," Jack said. "How was your day?"

"Good."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I don't have school for three months," he told her excitedly. "Do you know what that means?"

"What?" She repeated.

"Tomorrow we can do whatever you want," He said and playfully poked her tummy.

"Yay!" She said and gave him a big hug.

He got home and was excited to here Pacey and Joey's news. Not just because he'd missed, though he had, but because he'd been getting a little lonely. He loved Amy more than anything in the world, but it wasn't the same as having adults around. He called them back as soon as he got the message.

"Hey Joey," Jack said. "It's awesome that you're moving here."

"I know!" She replied. "We found the greatest apartment just 6 or 7 blocks away from yours. We're going to move in next week."

"Cool."

"But we're heading back to Boston later tonight, so I thought maybe we'd all go out and grab an early dinner?" She suggested.

"Sounds great," he said. "But let me check with Amy. It's the beginning of our summer vacation together," he beamed. He put the phone down on the table. "Amy?" He asked, "Do you want to go have dinner with Pacey and-"

Before he could say Joey, "Yes!" Amy shouted decisively.

Jack laughed and picked up the phone again. "She's all for it."

"Great," Joey replied.

"But you better watch out," Jack warned, "I think she might have a crush on Pacey. They both laughed.

"I'll see you later then," Joey said.

"Bye," he replied, and went to go wash Amy up for dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey," Joey and Pacey greeted Jack and Amy as they walked in. They'd already found a table.

"Hi!" Amy said.

"Hey," Jack said.

"You two go up to the counter first," Pacey offered. "Jo and I'll stay here and save the table."

"They sell by the slice," Joey explained. This was her and Pacey's favorite pizzeria.

"The thin crust's the best," Pacey added.

Jack and Amy went up and bought their food, followed by Pacey and Joey, and after Jack grabbed Amy a booster seat they all returned to the table. Amy busily began crayoning on her children's menu activity sheet. Jack cut Amy's slice into bite size pieces before taking a big bite of his own.

"So any ideas for a job?" Jack asked Pacey.

"Nah, but I've been keeping my eyes open for upscale restaurants in the area."

"Very ambitious."

"Well, even if I just start out as a Prep Cook, at least I have something to work for," He explained.

"So do you guys have any plans for this summer?" Joey asked.

"Not really," Jack said. "I think were just going to take it one day at a time." Jack looked to Amy. "I thought maybe tomorrow we'd go to Central Park. They have a zoo and a carousel." He told her.

"Cool," She replied.

Joey smiled because Amy really was pretty cute. They finished dinner and walked around the city for a little while, enjoying the nice weather. Amy started to get tired and Pacey carried her on his shoulders. They stopped for some ice cream, and eventually made it back to Jack's apartment building, nearby the parking lot where Pacey's car was.

"Bye," Jack said and hugged them both goodbye. Amy hugged them too, and they left, continuing down the street.

Jack started getting Amy ready for bed as soon as they got back to the apartment. He wanted her to have lots of energy for their trip to the park the next day. He had her all tucked in bed and said goodnight, but as he walked out the door, he heard her whine, "Jack." He turned back around. "My bear," she said scared. "I can't find Cory." Cory was an old, brown teddy bear she'd had since she was born. She loved him some much she took him everywhere with her.

Jack sat down on Amy's bed to comfort her. "We'll find him," Jack assured her.

"I can't sleep without Cory."

"Hold on," Jack said. "I might have something that can help." He went into the hallway and looked in a closet for a box of his old stuff. Most of it was childish, but he could never bear to throw it away. He reached in and found what he was looking for. "Amy," he said, "Meet Davey." Jack handed her a teddy bear much older than Cory was. "It's from when I was little," He told her. "Maybe he can help you get through the night?"

Amy nodded unsurely. Jack rubbed her back for a moment. "Close your eyes," He said, "I'll come back in a few minutes to check on you. I'll look around for Cory." He was happy that when he peeked in later, she was asleep, clutching Davey in her arms.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning Cory was still MIA and Jack was growing nervous, but they decided to go to the park as planned. Jack had gotten up early to pack up their lunch, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, potato chips and apple juice, for later in the day. He put their lunch, a camera and a bottle of sunscreen in his backpack and they began to walk to the park.

"What animal are you looking forward to seeing most?" Jack asked her, making conversation.

"Hmm…" She said giving it careful consideration. "The monkeys!" She replied confidently.

"Because they like to climb?" Jack guessed. Amy had always loved the jungle gym.

"Because they're silly," She replied.

"Just like you!" Jack answered. He lifted her up in the air and put her on his back. "Use you arms and legs to cling on, and I'll give you a piggy back ride," he offered.

"Like a monkey!" She yelled and locked her arms and legs around him.

When they reached the entrance to Central Park Jack was panting. "You're getting heavy," He noted. "Soon you're going to be a big girl!" He put her down, and she settled for holding his hand as they walked in, exploring their surroundings.

After spending a large chunk of the morning viewing the different animals, Amy was getting hungry. "Time for lunch?" Amy asked hopefully.

Jack looked down at his watch, 11:30. "Okay," he agreed. He found a picnic table and took the food from his bag. She devoured it quickly. "Wow," Jack said impressed, "you were hungry!" Amy nodded with pride.

"Did you find Cory, yet?" Amy asked sadly.

Jack hated to disappoint her. "No," he replied. "When was the last time you saw him?" He asked. "Think really hard," he told her.

She paused for a moment trying to remember. "I don't know."

"Well," Jack said. "Did you have him at dinner last night, with Joey and Pacey?" Amy shook her head. Jack thought about where else they had gone. "Did you have him at daycare yesterday?" he asked.

"Yes!" She shouted excitedly. "We played outside," she told him.

"Well, I bet he's there, safe and sound," he assured her.

"Let's have some more fun in the park. Then when we go home we'll stop by the daycare and ask if anyone has seen him," Jack promised.

"Okay." Amy was a fairly agreeable child.

They cleaned up and Jack brought Amy over to the carousel. She excitedly ran up and chose a horse. Jack strapped her in. Happily, she rode around and around, waving at Jack every time she passed. Jack waved back enjoying every second; he knew she wouldn't be two forever. When they were just about ready to leave, they stopped in the gift shop to look for a souvenir. Jack wanted her to remember this day.

"How about this one?" He asked, holding up a light blue tee shirt that said Central park. Amy shook her head. He loved that even at such a young age Amy knew what she wanted.

She ran up to him and held up another tee shirt. "This one," she announced. It was green and had three monkeys on it.

Jack smiled. "Okay," he agreed and walked with her to the cash register. "Whoa," Jack said like a little kid, "frosted animal crackers. I haven't seen these since I was a kid," He said taking the bag off of the shelf. "You hungry Amy?" It was about time for her snack.

"Yeah!" She replied sharing his enthusiasm.

After they paid they started walking towards the day care, enjoying their animal crackers and struggling to determine what they were supposed to resemble. They arrived at the Day Care Center and Jack rang the doorbell. "Can somebody get that?" They heard a man inside say. A child opened the door for them and they stepped inside. Jack searched through the sea of children to find an adult that could help them. His eyes were drawn to a man who was sitting on the floor playing a board game with the kids.

"Who's that?" Jack asked Amy. He was interested.

"Rob," Amy said. "He's nice. Last week when I got a boo-boo he gave me a band-aid."

Jack nodded, though he was only half listening. He was still staring at Rob.

"Rob!" Amy shouted. Well, that was one way to initiate conversation.

"Hey Amy," Rob replied walking to them.

"Hi, I'm Jack." Rob shook his hand. "Amy can't find her teddy bear. We thought maybe she might have left it here. Have you seen-"

"Cory. Oh yes, hold on," Rob said and went to go get him. He handed the bear to Amy. "Don't worry. We took good care of him for you," Rob assured. Amy hugged Cory tightly and ran off to go play.

"Thanks," Jack said.

"No problem," Rob replied.

They stood there for a moment looking at each other. Jack could feel an awkward silence coming on and so he tried to avoid it, "I guess we should go," He said.

"I'll see you on Monday," Rob said.

"Actually," Jack replied. "I'm going to watch Amy this summer."

"That's great," Rob said happily. "She's a good kid." Rob paused for a moment. "Why don't I give you my phone number in case you and your wife ever need a babysitter," He offered. "I live right around the corner."

"I don't have a wife," Jack clarified.

Rob had already written it down. "That's okay," Rob replied confidently. "Take it anyway."

Jack smiled and put the piece of paper in his pocket. "Come on, Amy," Jack called. "We've got to get home."

"Bye!" She shouted as they walked out the door. Jack waved goodbye to Rob.

Amy was still holding onto Cory with both hands. Together, Jack and Amy walked down the street, happily. It had been a very good day.


	10. Chapter 10

Only a week later, a lot had happened. Pacey and Joey had moved in, and grown to love, their new apartment. Pacey had been on six job interviews and was waiting to hear back, and Jack had finally worked up the courage to call Rob.

Jack nervously dialed the number. "Hey, it's me, Jack," He said into the answering machine. He was kind of thankful. It was much easier to articulate his thoughts when no one was on the other end. "It was great meeting you the other day. You seem like a great guy," Jack said and then immediately grew embarrassed. "I thought maybe you'd want to come hang out with me and Amy. She really adores you." He always tried not to use Amy as an excuse but he felt desperate. "Well, call me back," Jack said and left his number.

"Hey Amy," Jack greeted her as she walked out of her room, having awoken from her nap.

"Hi," Do you want to go to Joey's and Pacey's for dinner. They moved into a new apartment."

"Okay," She agreed.

Jack was about to take Amy outside when the phone rang. "Hello," he answered.

"Hey," Rob said.

"That was quick," Jack said happily.

"Yeah. I just got home from work," He explained.

"So you up for joining the two of us for a bite to eat," he said growing so excited that he forgot about their plans with Pacey and Joey.

"Actually…" Rob said. Jack grew worried. "I just scored two tickets from a friend to a Yankee game. You want to join me?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "That sounds great." He would take any means necessary to find a babysitter.

"Okay, so I'll pick you up around 4:30?"

"Definitely," Jack replied.

"See you then," Rob said.

"Bye," Jack hung up the phone and peered into the living room. Amy was busy working on a puzzle, and so he hung up and picked up the phone again to call Joey.

"Hi," Jack said.

"Hey, Are you guys coming tonight?" Joey asked.

"Well…" Jack said stalling. "I have a big favor to ask."

"And that is…" Joey said in a friendly tone, curious what she was getting herself into.

"You used to babysit Jo. How about taking Amy for the night?"

"Sure," Joey said kindly. "Pacey and I'll cancel dinner. We're an old married couple now it's no big deal," She laughed.

"Why are we canceling dinner?" Pacey sounded upset.

"Because Amy's going to come sleepover."

"Okay," Pacey replied, satisfied with the answer.

"So what do you have planned for tonight?" Joey asked. "A hot date?" She joked.

"Actually…"

"No?" Joey questioned.

"Rob's taking me to a Yankee game," he bragged.

"You didn't tell me about a Rob…"

"I didn't know him until yesterday."

"First date," Joey said, "Ooo," She said immaturely.

"Okay," Jack said, "I'm gonna hang up now. Can I come by in like an hour?"

"Of course," Joey replied.

"Amy," Jack said, "We've got a little change in plans." Amy didn't mind. She loved Pacey and Joey, and was thrilled to have her first sleepover.

"I'm going to a baseball game with Rob," he explained. Amy nodded. "And I'll be back late. So in the morning, Pacey'll make you pancakes he's a very good cook and then I'll come pick you up, okay?"

"Okay," she said and gave him a hug for no reason. It was the random ones that were the best.

Jack packed up some stuff for Amy to take with her and walked her up to the apartment. "I can't stay long," he said. "Thank you guys so much. You are the best. I owe you big time," he said as he started to leave. "Oh, by the way I told her you'd make pancakes…"

Pacey laughed. "Okay," he gave in.

"Sorry," Jack said. "I just can't think straight."

"You go have fun," Pacey said.

"We'll have a good time, too." Joey assured him.

"Yes!" Amy agreed and gave Pacey and Joey hugs.

"Bye, Amy," Jack said and waved as he walked out the door.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N This extra long chapter is for PaceyW'sGirl. Thanks for all the reviews, and everyone else let me know what you think!

It was the late afternoon and Pacey kissed Amy and Joey on their cheeks before heading off to his last interview. This was the one he wanted most. He was applying at an Italian restaurant a couple subway stops away. "I'll be back soon," he promised.

"So," Joey said as he shut the door behind him. "You want to play dress up?" She asked. Amy grew excited as Joey searched through her closet for old hat, dresses, sweaters and shoes.

Amy began to dig through it all. "We can pretend we're going to a party!" She insisted.

"Okay," Joey agreed. "And when you're all finished we can take a picture for Jack."

"Yay!" Amy yelled and immediately started trying things on. She made Joey turn around because she wanted it to be a surprise. Finally, Amy announced, "Okay, all finished!" Joey put down the book she had been reading to get a good look.

"You look adorable," Joey said, and she did. "Can I make a few finishing touches?" Joey asked for permission. Amy nodded eagerly and Joey took her into the bathroom and pulled out her makeup case. Joey put some blush on Amy's cheeks, and the brightest red lipstick on her lips. It look cute in the silliest way possible. "You like it?" She asked.

"Yes!"

"Should I take the picture now?"

"Yes!" Joey got her digital camera from the drawer and took the picture. She took one on her phone, too. Joey waited to clean her up, because both of them wanted to show Pacey. When he got back home, he took a picture of the too of them. "Thank you, Joey!" She said.

"I'm glad you had fun," Joey replied. "But why don't we get you out of those heels before you twist an ankle!" She insisted helping her get them off.

Jack was getting ready too, yet he wasn't finding it quite as fun. He was trying to find a shirt to wear but he felt like nothing looked good. Finally he settled for a red polo shirt and jeans. He was finishing putting on his sneakers when Rob knocked on the door. He got up to open it. "Come on in," he said. "I've just got to go grab my cell phone." Rob waited in the living room, admiring the cute pictures of Jack and Amy. "All set," Jack announced.

"Great," Rob said and smiled at him. "The bus leaves at 4:30."

"Okay," Jack said, and they headed down towards the bus stop.

"So have you ever been to a Yankee game before,"

"Nope," Jack replied.

"Baseball game?" Rob asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't know if I should be admitting this…" Jack answered, "but I went to a few Red Sox games when I went to college in Boston."

"That's all right," Rob said laughing. "As long as you're not a fan."

Jack held up his right hand. "I promise," he said and laughed.

The bus arrived and they found their seats right along the third base line. "So who are they playing today?" Jack asked.

"The cubs," Rob answered. "But they're just warming up right now. I like to come see batting practice."

Jack nodded. "I'm going to go get something to drink. You want anything?" He offered.

"A soda would be great," Rob said. "Thanks,"

"Sure," Jack replied.

"So you play any sports?" Jack asked him handing him a drink.

"Used to play baseball in high school. Now it's just whatever the kids want to play on the playground." Jack laughed. "What about you?"

"Football," Jack said. "I kind of stumbled upon it by accident," he laughed. Jack felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He had a new picture message; joey had sent him the picture of Amy. Jack smiled.

Rob saw it over his shoulder. "That's cute," Rob said.

"Yeah," Jack said still looking at the picture, "she's staying over at my friends house tonight.

"So how'd you get to be a father?" Rob asked curiously without being pushy. "I mean you are…?"

"Gay? Yeah." Jack verified. Back in college he would have found this conversation awkward but he had grown a lot since then. Besides, he was still preoccupied by Rob's first question.

"Actually, I adopted her," Jack said.

From the look on his face, Rob could tell this wasn't on the approved list of first date discussions. "So," he said, not so subtly changing the topic, "have any siblings?" Rob asked.

"Yep," Jack said. "I have a younger sister, Andie. She's really great. I had an older brother, Tim, but he died when I was young."

"Boy," Rob said in a friendly tone. "You do have a depressing past." He was trying to make light of it.

"You'll learn to accept it," Jack said smiling. "What about you, any siblings."

"Three," Rob said. "I'm the oldest."

"Wow," Jack said.

The game began and the Yankees took the lead. Rob explained some of the rules that Jack didn't know, and even rolled off at few of the batters' averages. It was clear he was a major baseball fan. He seemed like one of those people who go to the batting cages once or twice every month, just for the heck of it. Jack had always had a thing for athletic guys.

Pacey cooked Amy grilled cheese for dinner. "Do you like it?" He asked her.

"Your bread's funny," She said honestly.

Pacey pretended to be insulted.

"Pacey," Joey said. "It's just the rye bread. Don't take it personally." She laughed. "She's used to Jack's white bread."

"Who wants white bread when you could have freshly baked rye bread from the bakery?" Pacey asked astonished.

"You know, Pace," Joey said, "You've become a food snob."

"First, you insult my food," Pacey said looking at Amy. "Then you insult me," he said looking at Joey. "I'm through," he declared and threw down a dishtowel for effect. Amy giggled. "Thank you, thank you," Pacey said, and took a bow. "How about some pasta instead?" Pacey offered.

"Okay," Amy agreed.

"Pacey, no fancy cheese toppings or vodka sauce," Joey warned. "Stick with butter," she suggested.

"Your corrupting her taste pallete," he insisted.

Joey made a face at him. "Wait a couple of years until she's more open minded, and then you can make her try fine delicacies," Joey joked.

"Okay, okay," Pacey said taking the box of pasta out of the pantry.

"We should go get something to eat," Rob said looking at his watch and then the scoreboard. He tried to time it so they wouldn't miss the Yankees up at bat.

"Okay," Jack said, and they went to go wait in line for food. They finished up their dinner and continued watching the game.

Rob put his empty container of french fries underneath the seat. He placed his arm on the arm rest, his hand accidentally brushing against Jack's. "Sorry," Rob said quickly.

"It's okay," Jack said confidently and placed his hand over Rob's. Rob smiled. Jack inhaled deeply enjoying the weather. It was still light out, but it was cooling down. Jack could always appreciate a nice summer night.

Pacey, Joey, and Amy all sat down on the couch to watch a movie before putting Amy to bed. Amy fell asleep on the floor half way through though. Joey went to get Amy's sleeping bag and a pillow. Pacey lifted her carefully and placed her onto the sleeping bag, which Joey had unrolled on the couch. "Goodnight," he whispered.

"Goodnight," Joey whispered and the two of them went to their room.

Amy woke up a few hours later, scared and unaware of where she was. She got up to look around. In the dark nothing looked familiar. The door to Joey and Pacey's room was open a crack and she tiptoed in. Amy saw Pacey lying there asleep snoring and she didn't know what to do. She started to cry. Pacey woke up and saw her sitting on the floor beside their bed. "Amy," He said nicely, scooping her up off of the floor and onto the bed. "What's wrong?" Now Joey was up, too.

"I'm scared," She told them.

"It's okay," Joey said and held her hand comfortingly. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I miss Jack."

Joey smiled. "Jack will be here in the morning and the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you will get to see him,"

"It's scary in the living room," she told them.

"Well, then you're just going to have to stay here won't you," he said and rolled her in between him and Joey. Joey looked at him and smiled.

"That was a great game," Jack said on the bus ride home.

"See," Rob said, "I knew I could get you to appreciate baseball." He smiled. "I got worried there when the cub's tied it up in the top of the 8th, but they pulled it off."

"With a home run, no less," Jack added. Conversation had quickly become natural to them. They were both similar in that they were shy at first, but after a little while they could grow so talkative you couldn't shut them up.

They got off the bus and began walking in the direction of their apartments again. When it was time for Jack to make a different turn, towards his street they said goodbye. "Thanks for inviting me," Jack said. "It was a lot of fun."

"I had a nice time, too," Rob replied. "We should do it again." Rob leaned in slowly and Jack came the rest of the way, giving him a goodnight kiss.

"Bye," he said.

"Bye," Rob replied.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Sorry if this chapter seems a little empty, but I promise I have plans to make up for it in the next few chapters! Trust me!

Jack had been talking to Rob on the phone but devoting most of his time to Amy. They had a lot of fun together exploring the city. They'd only been living there since the beginning of the school year and everything was still new and interesting. All week they had been looking forward to their trip to Coney Island. They planned on seeing some of the live shows, riding on the different attractions and even going in the pool if it got hot enough. The day was especially important to Jack because it was the first time Amy would be with Rob outside of daycare.

"Go to sleep," Jack told her the night before. "You need your rest. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"I'm too excited," she replied. So Jack read her a story to calm her down and when he could see her eyes beginning to shut he turned off the light.

"Let's go out to dinner," Pacey suggested as if it was a spur of the moment type idea. "We never got to go last weekend."

"Okay," Joey agreed, "but let's eat on the earlier side."

"7:00, alright?" Pacey asked hopefully since he'd made the reservations a week ago.

"Sure," Joey replied.

"Where are we going?" Joey asked.

"It's a surprise," he answered mysteriously.

"Okay," she replied happily, wondering what Pacey was up to this time. "Just let me go get ready."

"Hey Jo?" Pacey asked. "Are you sure you want to wait to have kids?" It was a random question but he couldn't stop thinking about how much he loved taking care of Amy.

"So that's what all of this is about. You're pregnant, aren't you?" Joey joked.

"Ha ha ha," Pacey said. "Seriously."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've been giving it another thought lately." Pacey smiled. "But that doesn't mean…"

"Okay, okay." Pacey nodded.

"But I'll consider it," Joey said giving him some hope.

"That's all I ask," Pacey said.

The next morning Jack woke up and was absolutely crushed to see the storm outside of his window. How was he going to tell Amy? When she walked in with her arms crossed and a pout on her face, he figured she already knew. She climbed up onto Jack's bed and crawled into his lap.

"I promise," he said. "We'll tomorrow, and if it rains tomorrow, we'll go the next day and if it rains that day we'll go the next day and…"

Amy laughed. "Okay," she said, still disappointed though.

Then the phone rang. Since it was only 9:30, Jack decided it must be Rob calling to check in. "Hello," he answered.

"Hey," Rob said. "So I'm guessing we're calling it off?"

"Well I told Amy we're just rescheduling," Jack clarified. "I mean if you could do it tomorrow or something."

"Yeah, sure."

"Amy was really disappointed so I was trying to cheer her up. I guess I was too," Jack admitted.

"Well, if you still want I could just come hang out and the 3 of us could be disappointed together," Rob suggested.

"Sure, come on by. We're still in our PJ's," Jack laughed. "But I can make breakfast.

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

"Great, see you later."

"Bye."

"Ready to go?" Pacey asked.

"Yep," Joey replied and he opened the door. They took the subway and ran through the rain to the restaurant. Someone came immediately to sit them. They sat for a while and Joey examined the menu, but Pacey only watched her. "Wow Pacey, this place is nice," she said. "And expensive," she pointed out.

"Don't worry about it," Pacey said.

"What do you mean don't worry about it? Pacey, I hate to bring you back to reality, but you don't have a job."

"Au contraire," Pacey said in theme with French Cuisine. Joey looked at him quizzically. "What if I told you I got an employee discount tonight?"

"No?" Joey questioned excitedly.

"Yep," Pacey replied. She kissed him right over the table. "I was going to wait to tell you until after you tried the incredible food. The head chef is a genius. But I decided you should know, so you'd order what you really want, rather than what you thought we could afford." Joey didn't answer him. She just smiled and kissed him again. "Let's celebrate," he said and took her hand.


	13. Chapter 13

For Jack and Amy, the first week went slowly as they spent their days enjoying the sunshine, the city, and being together. Pacey and Joey didn't have the luxury of summers off. Joey had always enjoyed her job as a copy editor. She wrote her own novels in her free time, but she couldn't stand the inconsistency of it. She got a nerdy pleasure out of simply contributing to the process of a book being made. Pacey always joked she loved it because she got paid to correct peoples errors. Pacey had started his job at the restaurant and immediately fell in love with it. Joey recognized the change as soon as he got home from his first day. He had that childish grin on his face she'd grown to love, and he excitedly babbled to her about all of the different items on the menu. Although they both enjoyed their jobs, when July 4th rolled around they were thrilled for the vacation. Friday afternoon they packed up their stuff, and eagerly headed to Capeside for the annual barbeque and Independence day events.

"Hey Jack," Andie said as she picked up her phone.

"Hey, what time are you getting to Capeside today?" He asked.

"Already here!" She replied enthusiastically. "You're coming aren't you? I haven't seen you in forever."

"Speaking of which, I have some news," He said in a fairly upbeat tone. "I have a boyfriend." Jack was pretty sure he could call Rob that.

"Oh Jack! That's great! What's his name?" Her interrogation had begun.

"Rob. He's really great."

"What does he do? How old is he? When did you meet him? Why didn't you call me? What does he look like? Where is he from?"

Jack laughed and sighed. "Well, I called to tell you I want to invite him along. I mean I don't know if he'll want to, but do you think it would be alright?"

"Yeah," Andie said confidently. She wanted to meet him and she wouldn't let anyone get in the way.

"So," Jack began hopefully. "Will you tell dad for me?"

"Sure," Andie answered benevolently.

"Thank you. I owe you big time, but I've got to go pack."

"Okay, see you guys soon."

"Love you, bye." Jack said.

Jack invited Rob along, and was pleased with the speed at which he agreed. Amy was excited, too. She couldn't remember Capeside; she hadn't been since she was a baby, but Jack was always talking about it. They packed lightly, and carrying their backpacks for the three day weekend, they walked to meet Rob at the train station.

"Jack!" Andie cried greeting them at the door. She gave him a hug "And Amy," she said and lifted her up in the air. "And you must be Rob," Andie said.

"This is my sister Andie," Jack introduced them.

Rob nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Jack's father stood quietly behind Andie. "Dad, this is Rob. Rob, this is my dad Peter. Rob shook his hand formally. Jack's dad was trying hard to be supportive but his silence was the best he was going to get.

"Why don't you three bring your bags upstairs," Andie suggested trying to break the awkwardness hanging in the room.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Jack apologized for his father's behavior. "He's never really approved of me. He's getting better, though. Don't take it personally."

Rob nodded, "I understand."

"You'll love my sister Andie though. Hey Amy? You want to sleepover in Andie's old room?" He asked. There were bunk beds and they needed to use any spare room they had. During July 4th weekend every house in Capeside was full and the Potter B&B had been sold out for months.

"Yeah!" She replied running downstairs to let Andie know.

"I thought once we unpack, we'd go down to the creek and see if Pacey and Joey are here yet."

"Okay," he answered agreeably.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized even though Rob didn't seem to mind. "Maybe this wasn't the best weekend to come down. It's very hectic here this weekend."

"I work with children," Rob replied. "I'm not easily overwhelmed. Jack gave him a kiss and they went downstairs.

"Hey Amy," Jack called. "C'mon we're going to go and see if Joey and Pacey got here." Amy ran to catch up with them, her little legs moving at lightning speed to catch up with their strides. Rob lifted her onto his shoulders and they continued.

"Hey," Jack said as he entered the B&B.

Bessie greeted him with a hug. "Joey and Pacey are getting settled in. They'll be down in a couple minutes," she explained.

Pacey and Joey came into the kitchen and Jack went through introductions again. "Why don't you send Amy outside," Joey suggested. "Alexander and Lily are out there. They can look after her for a little while and we can have some coffee or something." Jack nodded and Amy jetted out the door.

"How old are they now?" Jack asked curiously.

"Seven," Joey said.

"Wow," Jack said with surprise. "They got old."

"So did we," Joey said with a smile.

The four of them enjoyed catching up, and the kitchen already smelled delicious. Scents of chicken, and corn and homemade pies filled the air. "Pacey's been working all afternoon," she explained.

"Just prep work," Pacey said modestly.

"We'll have to go out to Pacey's restaurant, when we get back to the city," Jack told Rob.

"Sounds good," Rob replied.

"It's not my restaurant," Pacey clarified, "I just work there."

"It will be one day," Jack said smiling. "We should get going soon," Jack said. "We just stopped by to say hi. I don't want Amy to go to bed to late. We have a tiring day tomorrow," Jack said starting to get up.

"How many people are coming?" Joey asked Pacey.

"Last I heard was 35-40."

"Wow," Rob said. Joey nodded. Jack was about to go get Amy, when Rob volunteered. "I'll go find her," he said, allowing Jack some time with his friends.

"He's cute," Joey said. Jack smiled.

"Seems like a good guy," Pacey said shrugging his shoulders.

"He is," Jack assured them.

Rob and Amy walked in the back door gabbing away. "I played with the big kids," she proclaimed proudly.

"Was it fun?" Rob asked interested.

"Yes!" She shouted with delight. They said goodbye and walked back to the house.

"Are you tired?" Jack asked, fully aware of the answer.

"No!"

Jack smiled. "Well, maybe if you go ask Andie she'll do BBB tonight." Jack didn't feel bad about giving Andie extra work. She loved her role as aunt.

"BBB?" Rob questioned him once Amy had left.

"Bath, bed, book." He explained slightly embarrassed.

Rob laughed. "You two are so cute," he said and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek.

Jack stood had been worried all day about the sleeping arrangements. The bed was a double, but he didn't want to make Rob uncomfortable. He was relieved when Rob came out of the bathroom in his PJ bottoms, and nonchalantly laid down on the right side. Jack also couldn't help but notice Rob's chest. He didn't quite have abs, but he was definitely fit. Rob just turned on the TV as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Jack admired and envied his confidence and security. Maybe some of it would rub off on him.


	14. Chapter 14

As early as 9:00 the next day, set up for the barbecue had begun. Gail was outside putting paper tablecloths on the tables. Pacey was already in the kitchen hard at work, and he had made Joey his permanent assistant chef for the day and everyone else was running around looking for someone who could use a hand.

"Celery." Pacey said as if he were a surgeon asking for a utensil. Joey speedily moved towards the refrigerator and obtained the requested vegetable. Pacey began to chop. "Pepper." Joey passed it to him. "Mayo."

"You know?" Joey spoke, "You could say please."

Pacey smiled to humor her. "Mayo, please." She got that for him, too. "cinnamon sugar."

"For the chicken salad?" Joey questioned.

"No," he replied with a know-it-all, "for the pie."

"Pacey Witter, you're mean in the kitchen. She took off her apron, threw it down, and exited the kitchen.

Pacey turned off the stove and ran after her. "Sweetie," he called in a tone only husbands use to their wives. Joey turned around. "The chef's in command," he explained to defend his actions.

She didn't seem to view this as a valid excuse. "I'm not working in your kitchen," she announced leaving with dignity.

"That's probably for the best." He nodded understandingly.

"Okay," Joey said breaking the false serious tone they'd been using. "I'm going to go help Jack bring the chairs outside. See you later."

"Love you," Pacey replied and returned to his work.

"I'm pooped," Joey said and sat down in a chair once she'd finished putting the correct amount at each table.

"Me too," Jack replied sitting down next to her. "What time are people coming?" He asked.

She looked at her watch. "About twenty minutes," she reported. Jack left to go find Amy and Rob and when he returned, people had begun to arrive.

Bessie came in first, with Alexander trailing behind her and then Bodie came carrying a plate of grilled chicken he'd made. Gail had been outside all morning, but her husband and Lily joined her.

Next Jack saw Pacey's dad and suddenly it hit him that Doug would be there. He couldn't believe he hadn't realized it before. He had just been so happy lately. It must have just slipped his mind. At first, Jack panicked but then he decided to take Rob aside. Though he wasn't usually good at being upfront, suddenly now that he felt the stakes were higher he tried harder to make things work. "Hey Rob,"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"My ex-boyfriend's here, I would've warned you earlier but it didn't even cross my mind. I just wanted to be honest and let you know. I may go talk to him for a bit later, but you've got nothing to worry about, okay?" Jack said looking into Rob's eyes for a response.

"Okay," Rob said, shrugging his shoulders; he wasn't thrilled but he hid it well. "I guess that sounds fair." Jack gave him a kiss, still loving the fact that Rob wasn't a high maintenance guy.

"Everyone's here," Gail announced looking around. "Dig in!" She gestured towards the table of food. As she finished, a car pulled into the driveway. Everyone looked questioningly to see who had arrived.

"Dawson!" They all heard Lily cry.

"Dawson?" Gail asked looking at her husband.

"Dawson?" Joey asked looking at Pacey. Both of the husbands shrugged their shoulders to show they were equally surprised. Dawson gave Lily a hug and as soon as he let go his mother wrapped her arms around her.

"Hey mom," Dawson said. "Surprise." Gail let go and smiled staring at him like she hadn't seen him for years.

"Hey Dawson," Joey greeted him next.

"Joey," he said excitedly and gave her a hug.

"Hey," Pacey said a little awkwardly. He was happy when Dawson broke it and gave him a hug.

"Pacey, how've you been?" He asked.

"Good," Pacey responded, now with a smile on his face.

Dawson did love the Hollywood life, but there was something about being in that little town with his best friends and family that filled him with more joy than he had felt in months.

Gretchen returned from the kitchen with a bowl of chips and was amazed to find Dawson standing there in front of her. "Dawson Leery…" she greeted him with a grin, "you have changed one bit." She gave him a big hug.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said sincerely. "You haven't either."

"Yes, I have," she corrected him and started thinking about how she was back when she was in college.

"Well you look exactly the same," he told her.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said.

"You should," he said. "So what have you been up to lately?" He asked her. Just as he had hoped, she sat down in the chair beside him so that they could catch up.

Doug worked to stay away from Jack, but eventually Jack cornered him. This was something he needed to do. "You know it's a small town," Jack said lightly. "We can't avoid each other forever."

Doug nodded. "But you can't blame me for trying."

Jack nodded understandingly. "Your brother's my friend. Your sister-in-law is my friend. Can't we just be friends too?" He asked.

"I don't hate you." Doug replied.

"Well," Jack said somewhat satisfied. "That's definitely a start." He got up from his chair and gave Doug a light pat on the back before going to check on Amy.

"Jack!" Amy yelled and gave him a hug.

"What?" He asked trying to match her enthusiasm.

"Look!" She jumped up high in the air.

"Wow!" he replied.

"Rob," she said. Rob got into position. She jumped over him.

"Good job, Amy."

"I'm like a frog!" She proclaimed.

"A silly frog!" Jack replied. He playfully grabbed Amy and tickled her all over. He loved to hear her laugh.

"Hey Rob," Andie called from inside. "Can you help me in the kitchen?"

"I can do it," Jack replied worried Andie was up to something.

"It's fine," Rob said back to him, already on his way.

"Hey," he said to her, "what can I do?"

She was standing by the sink full of dirty dishes. "Wash or Dry?" She asked him offering the soap bottle or the dishtowel. He grabbed the towel. "Good choice," Andie replied trying to be friendly.

"So Rob what do you do?" Andie asked. Rob smiled, familiar with the interrogation. "I'd ask Jack myself, but if you haven't noticed, he's very secretive."

"Yes, I know," he replied. "I'm still waiting to hear about Amy's mother." Andie put the plate down gently and stared at the countertop silently. Rob stood there looking at her expectantly. "That's not mine to tell," she said finally.

"Okay," he said nodding.

"But he should tell you. I'll work on it." She let a tiny smile slip.

"I work at a Day Care Center. Amy's Day Care actually."

"Oh…" Andie replied interested.

He continued to talk about himself because otherwise she would simply follow with more questions. "I met Jack a couple of weeks ago, when he came to pick up the bear Amy left. I'm 26 and the oldest of four children. My favorite color is blue and I love baseball." He put down the plate he was drying and looked at her. "Anything else?" He smiled.

"Nope," Andie said. "That basically covers it." They finished up and when there were no dirty plates left in the sink they went back outside. Andie when to hang out with Joey, and Rob remained by the door. As she passed him, she smiled. "I hope you two work out," she told him. And she meant it.

"Me too," he said and walked up to Jack and took his hand.


	15. Chapter 15

Two hours later Gretchen and Dawson remained in the same positions, just talking about life. It was what they did best.

"You should come to Hollywood," Dawson told her. "I'll show you around."

"And I'd be so proud seeing what a hotshot you are," she laughed. "You know," she said. "I watch The Creek regularly."

"Really?" Dawson was excited.

"Of course," she said. "Every Tuesday night I get the kids I babysit for to turn it on. They're hooked too. You did a good job."

"Thanks," Dawson said. "But I want to find my way back into moviemaking sometime in the near future."

Gretchen nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised. Just don't forget to invite me to your premiere."

"I won't," he assured her looking up into her green eyes.

It began to grow dark outside and the children came back closer to the house. Dessert was served, and Jack and Rob went to get a slice of Pacey's homemade Apple pie and some vanilla ice cream.

"Yum," Rob said. "I have such a sweet tooth."

"Really?" Jack asked. "It's pizza that does me in."

Amy ran towards them holding a dripping cherry ice pop in her hand. "Jack," she said excited to see him. She plopped down in his lap and was mesmerized by the fireflies she saw flying around her. Jack tried to explain them to her. The first firework went off and bright red shot through the sky with a loud boom. Jack quickly turned to Amy worried she might have been scared. But she simply was staring unafraid, at the sky with a look of complete awe on her face as if she'd never seen anything like it. Then Jack realized that she hadn't. He didn't watch the fireworks. He simply watched her seeing them for the first time.

The fireworks ended and it was getting late. "Why don't you go say goodnight to everyone," Jack suggested to Amy. "It's getting late."

"But I'm not tired," she insisted. Jack raised his eyebrows. "Okay," she gave in and ran off.

"You have a fun night?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Rob replied. "Your friends are really cool."

"I'm glad you came this weekend," Jack told him.

"Me too," he said.

Their goodnight kiss became longer and more passionate than either expected. But after a moment Jack pulled away. Rob looked at him disappointedly, trying to read his face. "Wait until we get upstairs," he told him and a grin appeared on Rob's face.

"Did you see the fireworks?" Pacey asked Amy as she came up to them.

"Yes!" she replied. "Bright," she said happily. "I saw bright bugs, too," she added proudly.

"I used to love fireflies when I was a kid," he said, mostly to Joey. "Yeah," Pacey agreed with Amy. "Bright bugs are really cool."

"Jack said time for bed," she informed Pacey.

He smiled. "Okay," he said. "Goodnight Amy," he said. "Goodnight," Joey said.

"Goodnight Pacey! Goodnight Joey!" She yelled. "Happy 4th July!"

Pacey looked at Joey. "Look at that kid," he instructed, "and tell me you don't want one of you own."

Joey couldn't help smiling as she watched Jack scoop Amy off the ground and begin to walk with her and Rob back to the house. "Pace?" she said. Pacey looked up at her. "You might be right," she said smiling. Though it was dark out, she could picture the grin on his face.

The next morning Andie woke up early, planning to leave shortly, when the phone rang. She picked it up before it could wake anyone. "Good Morning," Pacey said sounding especially friendly.

"Hey Pacey," Andie said quietly, happy to hear from him.

"Come on over," he invited. "We've got pancakes."

"Yum!" Andie said. "We'll be right there." Andie went to check on Amy, who awaited sitting up in her bed smiling.

"Hi," she greeted Andie.

"Hi," she replied with a smile. "Let's get you dressed," she suggested. "We're going over to Joey's house for breakfast. Andie left a note on the counter telling Jack and Rob to come join them and left.

"Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, Banana or Plain?" Pacey asked as they entered. Dawson and Joey, as well as the rest of the Potters and Witters were already sitting at the table.

"Wow," she said. "Someone was ambitious this morning."

"Chocolate!" Amy said decisively.

"One chocolate chip, and one…" Pacey looked at Andie.

"I'll take a blueberry," she said, watching hungrily as he poured the batter onto the griddle.

"Do you like it?" Pacey asked Amy.

"More," she declared.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said putting another on her plate.

"Yeah Pace, these are delicious." Jack and Rob came in a few minutes later and Pacey stacked their plates, too. "Finally you two," Andie said. Jack and Rob just smiled, sat down and began to eat their pancakes.

"I don't want to go home," Joey said. Andie nodded understandingly.

"At least the five of you are near each other," Dawson said, feeling they had less of a right to complain.

"That's true," Jack agreed. "You need to visit more often."

"Well actually, I've been writing a new movie script. It's still a work in progress but it takes place in New York. So, you never know."

"That would be so cool," Joey said.

"Yeah," Dawson agreed. "I've missed you guys."

They sat around talking over breakfast for a while, but they all knew they were simply stalling for the inevitable goodbyes. Dawson had to leave first, so he could catch his plane. He said goodbye to each of his friends, and last he got to Gretchen and he looked at her a little differently. "We've got to do a better job at keeping in touch," he said.

Gretchen nodded. "I know," she said and gave him a hug.

The rest of the crew loaded into their cars to drive back home, slightly disappointed they would have to go back to reality. Not because they didn't like their lives, there was just something so nice about coming back to Capeside. While they lived there, they saw it as small and suffocating but now each time they returned everything felt comfortable, safe and familiar, almost as if they had been transported to another time.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N Sorry for the shorter chapter. Just to warn you guys, the next couple of chapters are probably going to be the last two. I just feel like things are naturally wrapping up the way I want. Thanks for reading. Hope you guys enjoy!

Summer allowed Jack and Amy to feel free to do whatever they pleased. Without work, Jack had trouble determining the day of the week and even separating each day from the next. But Jack went to bed that night knowing that the next day would be different from all of the others.

Jack woke up and began to dress in his formalwear, but when the phone rang early that the morning he got nervous. Just as he'd worried, his babysitter had cancelled on him. He walked around the room in panic and eventually took a deep breath and called Andie because he didn't know what else to do.

"Hello," Andie answered

"Hey," Jack said quickly.

"Is everything alright?" Andie asked, immediately worried by Jack's tone of voice.

Jack had been an odd combination stressed and sad all week because he knew this occasion was approaching. The anniversary of Jen's death let loose so many emotions in him, and it only took this little inconvenience to cause him to lose it. "One of my students was supposed to babysit today, but they just called and cancelled," he explained.

"And you have no one else you can call?" She asked.

"No," he said definitively. He had already racked his brain for any possible option. Usually he would just turn to Pacey and Joey, but they were coming too, of course.

"Day Care!" she said brilliantly.

Jack sighed. Of course he'd already thought of that. "It's Sunday. They're closed."

Andie thought for another minute. She was the right person to call in a time of crisis. "Rob," she confidently suggested.

"One problem," he said. "I haven't told him."

"But you need to," she said.

Jack took a deep breath. "I know," he said. "Thanks, I'll see you later."

"Good Luck. I love you." She told him. "So does he."

He hung up the phone and picked it up again to dial Rob.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hey," Jack said. "Can you come here?" he asked. This was something he wanted to do in person.

"Sure," he said. "Is everything okay?"

"No one's hurt," he said. "I'll explain when you get here.

"Leaving now," he said, and did just that.

"I got here as fast as I could," he said.

Amy was playing in the living room and Jack took Rob into the bedroom so they could talk in private. "I'm just going to start at the beginning," Jack said. "Amy's mom's name was Jen. We were best friends in high school, went to college together. I lived with her and her Grams for a couple years. We were inseparable. A couple years after we graduated Jen had Amy and the father left her. Grams and I were helping her raise Amy. Jen was having increasing heart difficulties and at Dawson's mom's wedding, she passed out," Jack paused allowing himself to calm down, and giving Rob time to process it all. Then I found out she had a heart condition that became apparent during Amy's birth, but Jen had kept it to herself. It was just the way she was. They'd tried everything but there was nothing that would work. When we knew it had become fatal, I volunteered to raise Amy. There was nothing I wanted more." Jack had tears in his eyes but was less embarrassed when he saw that Rob did to. "Today's the one year anniversary of her death, and my friends and I are going to her grave, but my babysitter cancelled," he explained. He looked at Rob. "I need you," he said vulnerably.

Rob put his arms around him. "Okay," he answered quickly, "I'm here." When Rob let go he stood back and looked at Jack for a moment. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Jack said, and at that moment, he couldn't help but be happy.


	17. Chapter 17

"Go finish getting ready," Rob instructed. "Everything's under control."

"You're the best," Jack said and gave him a kiss. Rob went into the living room to play with Amy and Jack went back to his closet in search of a tie.

"Better get going," Jack said when he came downstairs. He ran off giving Amy and Rob kisses on their cheeks. "Be good for Rob," Jack told Amy.

"Okay," she agreed.

"I'll be home later tonight."

"Bye!"

"Bye," he replied and walked to the parking lot where he was meeting Pacey and Joey.

"Thanks for giving me a ride guys," he said as he got in their car.

"No problem," Pacey said. They were trying to make conversation like usual but there was a serious tone in all of their voices. They just couldn't help it. Pacey drove and Joey and Jack rode in silence, until finally Joey couldn't take it anymore and turned on the radio. The other two were appreciative.

Finally they arrived in Capeside again, feeling very different than they had when they were there last. They entered the cemetery and found the gravestone. For a while, the three just stood there quietly. Pacey held Joey's hand protectively. She placed flowers on the ground. A man who worked there came and placed the headstone in the ground, as was custom after one year. He simply nodded to them silently and left.

Pacey, the brave one, spoke first. "Maybe we should say something?" He suggested unsurely.

Joey nodded. "That would be nice."

"Hey Jen," Pacey said softly. "Joey and I moved to New York recently. I can see why you may have found the city overwhelming," he commented. "Joey and I are loving it there though," he added on a more positive note. "I'm working at an Italian restaurant," he informed her. "And Joey's working at the publishing company, now. Jack'll tell you more about Amy, but I've just got to say, she's one amazing kid. And you never have to worry she's not loved. Jack loves her more than anything in the world. Joey and I love her too. I think even Rob does."

"Rob's Jack's new boyfriend," Joey said. Jack shot her an embarrassed look to show he wished she wouldn't continue. "Jen, now Jack is shooting me this look tell me not to talk about him. You know the one I'm talking about." She smiled. "But don't worry, I'll give you the inside scoop," she assured. Then she looked at Jack, "you know she'd want to hear about it." Jack nodded in approval and Joey went on to describe Rob. "Well I think that's basically it," Joey finished looking at Pacey to check they didn't forget anything.

"We love you, Jen," Pacey said.

"And we miss you," Joey added. "And we'll never forget you," she said quietly starting to cry.

"Joey and I are going to take a walk," Pacey said to Jack quietly. "We'll meet you at the car. Take as long as you need, man."

Jack nodded fighting back tears. As they walked away and he stood alone looking at the tombstone, he couldn't hold them back any longer. "I miss you Jen," Jack began. "Every time I look at Amy, I think of you. Some might think of it as a curse," he said. "But it's not. It's a blessing. I brought you this picture of Amy." He placed it on top of the flowers. "She's two now and the cutest toddler ever. She looks just like you. She has your beautiful blonde hair. She acts like you, too. In all the best ways. She's strong and ambitious and she never gives up. She's more agreeable than you were. But give her some time, I have a feeling she'll grow out of it," he said with a slight smile. "I knew I'd have trouble finding things to say, because there is just so much. So I'm just going to read you this poem I wrote," he said and began to read aloud from the crumpled piece of paper he'd brought with him.

At first,

I worried she'd think she was a burden,

I worried she'd think I didn't want her,

How could I show her how much I love her,

Because I have to.

Because when I was plagued by the darkest cloud I've ever faced,

She was my silver lining,

She made me smile,

She made me laugh,

In all the ways her mother could,

But can no longer.

And from the darkest cloud,

Comes my silver lining,

And she reminds me of the days when the sun was pure.

"I love you Jen and I love Amy. And Amy loves you, too. I showed her the video. I know she's young," he said. "But I wish you could've seen the way her face lit up. I miss you Jen. But I try and remind myself you're not really gone, because so much of you is in her." He took a deep breath and wiped away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. He placed the poem by the photo, and slowly walked back to the car.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N Here's the last chapter!!! I'm unlikely to do a sequel but if there's a large enough demand I will consider it. Keep reviewing and let me know what you think! Thanks for sticking with the story and I hope you enjoy!

In the middle of September, Jack's birthday was approaching, but he was never one to make a fuss. "Seriously, you guys," he said to Amy and Rob. "It's no big deal."

Rob sighed. "You're no fun,"

"Yeah, no fun," Amy agreed. Jack tickled her and she quickly took it back.

"I've got to get going," he said looking at his watch. "Some kids are coming in early for extra help. Big test today."

"Okay, Mr. McPhee," Rob teased. "Have a good day." He gave Jack a kiss goodbye.

"Good job, Amy." Rob gave her a high five after Jack walked out the door. "Now remember, when we pick Jack up today to take him to dinner, don't say anything." Amy nodded seriously and pretended to lock her mouth and throw away the key. "You're a good secret keeper," He told her and they walked to Day Care.

"How was your day?" Rob asked as Jack got into the car.

"Great," he replied. "The kids were more energetic than usual. I think they really enjoyed it. What about you two?" He asked. "Have fun at Day Care?"

"I made art," she declared.

"Today was finger-painting day," Rob clarified.

Amy stuck her chubby hand out to show Jack her painting. Jack turned around to look. "It's beautiful, Amy," he said. "We'll have to put it on the fridge, okay?"

"Yes!" She agreed excitedly.

"Seems like you got a lot on yourself, too," Jack commented. "Are all kids this messy?" Jack asked Rob.

"Most of them," He nodded with a smile.

"So I thought we'd go out to dinner tonight." Rob said.

"Okay," Jack said. "I'm game. Just let me go home and change."

Rob looked at his watch. "You look great," he said, "and Amy and I are starving. Right Amy?"

"Yes!" Amy said on cue.

"Alright," Jack gave in, "that's fine."

"Great," Rob said and pulled into a parking lot. "We're here."

"Isn't this the restaurant where Pacey works?" Jack asked with a confused expression.

"Yep, I thought it'd be fun to try it out. You like Italian food, right?"

"Yeah," he said perking up. "Of course."

A man opened the door and a waiter took the three of them to a private room. He opened the door for them.

"SURPRISE!" shouted Pacey, Joey, Andie and Dawson.

"Happy Birthday," Rob said turning to look at Jack's face. Jack smiled and gave him a kiss.

"You guys are the best."  
"I kept the secret! I kept the secret!"

"Yes, you did," Jack said proudly and lifted her in the air. He kissed her on the cheek. "That's because you're getting so grown up." Jack put her back down and greeted his friends with hugs.

"Dawson," Jack said. "You didn't just come down for tonight, did you?" He asked worriedly.

Dawson laughed. "Actually," he said, "I'm happy to be able to say that I'll be staying for a while. Joey looked at him excitedly. "I got my movie backed by one of the companies and I'll be starting to shoot in New York City, in October."

"Dawson, that's great," Pacey responded enthusiastically.

"Congratulations Dawson!" Jack exclaimed.

"I know I have a sister who will be happy to hear you're moving close by," Pacey said not so subtly.

Dawson nodded. "Speaking of which, I'll be moving to NJ with her and making the commute."

"Don't want to join us city folk?" Joey asked jokingly.

"Dawson is joining the suburbs team. We need to even it up a bit," Andie laughed.

The waiter came to take their orders and they all quickly realized no one had thought to open their menus. "What would you recommend?" Jack asked Pacey, and they all agreed to let Pacey order for the table.

"Actually we have some news all our own," Pacey said after he had finished ordering. He put his arm around Joey's lower back.

"I'm pregnant!" She shouted out excitedly.

"That's great!" Jack shouted.

"Wow!" Andie exclaimed excitedly and ran around the table to give Joey a hug.

"How about a toast," Dawson suggested enthusiastically. "To Joey and Pacey and their baby. Wow that feels weird to say."

"I know!" Joey agreed. Everyone laughed. They still held their cups in the air. "And to Dawson," Joey added. "Best of luck with your movie we know you'll do great."

"And of course to Jack!" Andie chimed in quickly.

"We can't forget about him," Rob agreed.

"He's the birthday boy!" Andie added.

"Hey," Jack said. "You guys have done so much for me these past few years. Tonight," he said, "is for everybody.

They all clanked their glasses and cheered. The old friends sat talking long into the night, about their distant pasts together, distant futures together, and everything in between.


	19. Author's Note

Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for being such loyal readers. I just wanted to let you know that if you're interested in reading more of my writing, I've published my first novel, Hot, Tired, Bug-bitten and Having the Time of My Life. It's about four teenage girls and their experiences at sleep-away camp. There's a preview online at this site, where it's also available for purchase. 


End file.
